


Shutting Down

by NikaylaSarae



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Negative Self Talk, death talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25697377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikaylaSarae/pseuds/NikaylaSarae
Summary: Having your phone die shouldn’t be that big of a deal…right?
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	Shutting Down

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted with minor edits from my Tumblr account @stillebesat

**_Shutting Down_ **

It had been his own fault really. Not checking to see if his charger was actually plugged into the wall before he fell asleep last night. 

And now Virgil was paying the consequence of that oversight.

He let out a shaky breath, staring at the black screen of his now dead phone.

**_Shutting Down_ **

It shouldn’t feel like such a death sentence. 

But it did.

Virgil was effectively...off the grid. For the next six hours, he would have no access to the internet, to his friends, to contact with anyone outside of the store.

And really, it shouldn’t matter. 

It  _ shouldn’t  _ matter because he was at work and  _ should  _ be focusing on work tasks and  _ not  _ looking at his phone at all.

He should be just  _ fine  _ being off the grid for a measly six hours.

And yet.

Virgil shoved his phone back into his pocket, heading back onto the floor, trying to keep his breath steady.

Normally he was a bit more prepared for this sort of situation. Normally he had a portable battery pack in his work bag for situations just like this. 

Virgil swallowed, fingers brushing his pocket as he moved down the aisles. 

But that had needed charging too last night. And he’d been in such a rush to get to work this morning that he had completely spaced putting it back in his bag.

Leaving him without a way to charge his phone. 

**_Shutting Down_ **

Leaving him…alone. 

He’d realized too late. Only having enough time to send a quick text to his roommates asking them to bring his phone charger when they got the chance before the screen went black.

Not that Remy, Mags, or Ethan would see his text until well after noon. He’d probably make it home before they woke up. 

_ If he survived work. _

**_Shutting Down_ **

Six hours.

Virgil shakily exhaled, grabbing the next box of crackers that needed to be placed on the shelf. 

He just...just had to stay busy. Just had to not think about the fact that if anything,  _ anything  _ happened to him.  _ No one would know.  _ If anyone got into  _ trouble.  _ He wouldn’t know. He would be unable to  _ help.  _ He’d be completely  _ clueless  _ for  _ six freaking hours.  _

And there was  _ nothing he could do. _

Not that Virgil hadn’t  _ tried  _ everything to save his phone. He’d gone to all his coworkers, asking them if they had any chargers he could borrow.

_ Because everyone has a charger with them nowadays. _

Everyone except this simple idiot who had left his home on his desk and hadn’t checked to make sure his phone was charged before going to work. 

Unfortunately.  _ None  _ of their cords  _ fit.  _ All of them were too small for his phone. 

**_Shutting Down_ **

Virgil drew in a shaky breath, again brushing the outside of his pocket holding his phone before moving to the next box on the pallet.

_ It will be fine. It will be fine. You’ll survive. You’ll survive!  _

It was just a phone. 

He would be able to recharge it when he got home.

He could last for the six hours left in his shift without being able to use it.

A hand waved in front of his face. “Yo! Dr. Gloom!” 

Virgil jerked backwards, tripping over the pallet full of boxes, a loud yelp bursting from his lips as he hit the floor.

“Shoo--Geez, Spooks. I didn’t think--Are you alright?” 

**_Shutting Down_ **

Virgil closed his eyes, ignoring the hand extended to him, content to make his grave here on the cold tile floor. Of course. It was just his luck that  _ HE  _ had to be working today as well. Why not add more fuel to the burning dumpster of a fire that he was in already? 

“....Veenmo? Dude, did you faint?” 

Virgil growled, batting away at the touch he felt on his shoulders. At this point fainting would have been preferable. Too bad his head was a tad too hard to be affected by a little fall to the floor. “Just leave me here to die, Princey. The mice will drag my corpse away shortly. _ ”  _

He cracked open one eye as Roman crouched down next to him, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow raising as a smirk played on his lips. 

His newest coworker and one time middle school classmate, Roman  _ freaking  _ King never did take directions well. 

“Is that before or after Crazy Sue drives over your body with her scooter for her weekly rations of our entire supply of Chips Ahoy cookies?” 

_ Perfect.  _ That would be the cherry on top to this horrible morning, death by the self proclaimed Cookie Queen who came in every Tuesday at exactly eight on the dot. And because his phone was dead, no one would be able to identify his body or notify his roommates of his untimely passing. He’d be buried as a John Doe by the dumpster in back, left to forever haunt Aisle 9 and relegated to knocking packages off the shelf instead of placing them on it. 

**_Shutting Down_ **

He winced, eyes flashing open as fingers snapped by his ear. “...Virgil?” Roman asked, piercing blue eyes seeming to stare into his very soul, his voice soft. “What’s wrong, my Emo Nightmare?”

Besides his one time nemesis scaring him half to death? Virgil pushed up onto one elbow, grateful for the excuse to break eye contact.  _ “Nothing.”  _

Roman scoffed. “And Old Blind Joe is  _ actually  _ blind. Come on. Somethings up. I called your name four times before you decided to take dance lessons with that pallet.”

Like he would tell Princey anything. It was  _ pathetic  _ really, it was just a dead phone. He shouldn’t be letting it get to him like this. Virgil pushed to his feet, wishing he had his jacket so he could pull the hood up over his burning face.  _ “Nothing,  _ Princey. Drop it.” He growled. It wasn’t like Roman King would understand. 

“Dude, you’re the most hyper-vigilant guy I’ve known.” Roman said taking a step forward. “And I managed to startle you. Tell me what’s wrong.” 

“No.” Virgil turned away, reaching for the next box. If he got back to work maybe, just maybe, Princey would leave him alone. “It’s stupid.” He muttered. 

Roman darted in front of him, blocking the pallet, hands raised. “If it has you upset, it’s not stupid.” He said, his bright blue eyes once again trying to pierce Virgil’s cloud colored ones.

His heart skipped a beat and Virgil desperately hoped it was because he was having a heart attack because it was pathetic that he was actually buying into the  _ I care act,  _ Princey was giving him. 

**_Shutting Down_ **

“Virgil, please.” Roman spread his hands. “Tell me.” 

He closed his eyes, breath hitching. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. “My phone died, alright?” He snapped. “I have no way to charge it.”

“....Your phone...died?”

_ Let the teasing begin.  _ Virgil clenched his fists, eyes flashing open, glaring at Princey’s name tag. “ _ Yes. _ ” He growled. “I told you. It’s pathetic.” 

“You said stupid the first time.”

_ Like it mattered. _

“So?” Virgil ducked his head, fingers dropping to the dead weight in his pocket. 

Roman exhaled. “It’s not.”

“Not...what?” 

“Stupid.” 

“But it  _ is _ pathetic?” Virgil rolled his eyes. “Gee, I feel  _ so _ much better.” 

**_Shutting Down_ **

Roman groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Not what I meant---What kind of phone do you have, Edgelord?”

“A dead one.”

“Brand, you Emo Nightmare. I’m  _ trying  _ to see if I can help.” 

Virgil scoffed.  _ Help?  _ “Like you’d own a Gemini, Princey.” He said fishing his phone out of his pocket, waving it in his face.

The grin that spread across Roman’s face was far too happy for Virgil’s liking. 

“Well look at that.” Princey smirked, eyes sparkling as he fished out a phone that could have been the twin of Virgil’s if it weren’t gold -because  _ of course  _ the King would pick the gold option. 

Virgil blinked, then blinked again, his heart climbing into his throat. No way. What were the odds! No one else here had--  _ “You have-- _ ” He choked out. 

Roman shook his head. “I don’t have a cord, no. But--” He swiped his finger across the screen before holding out his phone to Virgil. “Since we both have Geminis, I can share my battery with yours. Wirelessly. Just lay yours on top of mine.” 

He had to be hallucinating. Had to have hit his head when he fell to the floor because how,  _ HOW  _ could Princey just  _ happen  _ to have the  _ same type  _ of phone? It---it had to be a trick. Right? Right. 

Roman raised an eyebrow as Virgil remained motionless. “Alright..I get the trust issue here...and I highly doubt I can adequately apologize for Middle School in the next two minutes. Soo--” He laid his phone on the pallet, taking a step back. “I’ll leave my phone here and come back in thirty, alright? That should give you enough battery to last you your shift.” 

Virgil could only mutely nod, not sure if he trusted himself to speak, waiting until Princey had rounded the corner before he warily approached the device like he expected it to suddenly jump up and attack him. 

It was  _ Princey’s  _ phone after all. 

But still--if...if it would actually---

Licking his lips, glancing to the end of the aisle to make sure Roman wasn’t lurking there, Virgil reached out, tenderly laying his phone on top of Princey’s. 

Please work.

_ Please WORK.  _

He didn’t know if he would be able to handle yet another failure in--

A sob tore free from his lips, the tightness constricting his chest vanishing as a brilliant white lightning bolt appeared on the screen.


End file.
